


You're the Sweetest Dream

by Linisen



Series: BINGO for the 18+ On Ice Discord Server [17]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe, First Meetings, Fluff, M/M, Meet-Cute, Soulmates, Time Zones, smitten boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-11
Updated: 2019-12-11
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:22:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21735235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Linisen/pseuds/Linisen
Summary: Every night when Yuuri goes to bed he dreams of bright blue eyes, silver hair and a smile shaped like a heart. He has for as long as he can remember. Scientists studying soulmates have gathered that the dreams start as soon as the youngest of the soulmate pair is born, and Yuuri’s the youngest in his pair. The dreams are diffuse, images scattered and sounds muffled. Yuuri’s never heard his soulmate’s voice, never held a conversation with him, and yet he’s Yuuri’s favorite person.
Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov
Series: BINGO for the 18+ On Ice Discord Server [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1482800
Comments: 64
Kudos: 406
Collections: 18OI Bingo-ber 2019





	You're the Sweetest Dream

**Author's Note:**

> Hi and welcome to my seventeenth piece for the 18+ on Ice Discord server event ‘BINGO’. The event contains of each participant getting a bingo card and then create as much content as they want for the prompts on it. My goal is to make a fic for all 25 squares in the card and you can find the rest of my fics for the event [here](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1482800) and for all for all of the participants at this [collection](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/18OI_Bingober_2019). A huge thank you to [Bearixt](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bearixt/pseuds/Bearixt) for setting this up. Coming up with all the ideas have been so much fun, and it’s been great brainstorming them in the server with all you lovely people there. I adore all of you. 
> 
> The prompt that inspired this piece was 'Time Zones' and this fic came to be from thinking about how soulmate who share dreams would deal with time zones. I hope you enjoy it. 
> 
> Thank you to [Zuzuhi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zuzuhi)

Yuuri has always dreaded getting up in the mornings. The bed has always felt much more like a safe haven than the cold grey world on the other side of the covers. Yuuri stays as long as he can, holding onto the last fleeting movements of sleep as the alarm shouts out to wake him. He holds on as hard as he can to the dreams rushing past his eyelids, so close, yet not tangible. 

There’s a reason why Yuuri is not a morning person. His parents seem to think it’s because of the anxiety, his mother giving him concerned looks and sweet words when she has to all but pull him out of bed on the days the alarm isn’t enough. Mari seems to think it’s because of him playing video games all through the night. She often flicks him in the back of the head at the breakfast table when he yawns, scolding him for staying up so late. When he grows up and moves to Detroit to start a grad course under Celestino Caildini, his roommate Phichit seems to think Yuuri’s strange sleeping pattern is because of his studies. Most grad students seems to be awake or asleep at all hours of the day anyway.

Yuuri doesn’t correct them. 

Okay, so some nights Yuuri’s anxiety keeps him awake, worry running around in his mind to fast to grip or make sense off enough to calm down. Some nights he stays up far too late playing video games, getting lost in worlds and stories, forgetting all about the time. Many nights he ends up getting up early, because that note in his dissertation doesn't feel right. Still, none of those are the real reason. It’s Yuuri’s soulmate that pulls him back under into pink-hued dreams. 

Most people have a soulmate, someone made just for you. Someone that will have a strong positive impact on your life. Someone who will love you just because you are you, someone you will love because they are them. It’s a lovely concept, Yuuri’s always thought so. Not all soulmates are romantic, although most are. Some are siblings, or best friends, or parents and their child, but they all have one thing in common: they share dreams. 

Every night when Yuuri goes to bed he dreams of bright blue eyes, silver hair and a smile shaped like a heart. He has for as long as he can remember. Scientists studying soulmates have gathered that the dreams start as soon as the youngest of the soulmate pair is born, and Yuuri’s the youngest in his pair. The dreams are diffuse, images scattered and sounds muffled. Yuuri’s never heard his soulmate’s voice, never held a conversation with him, and yet he’s Yuuri’s favorite person. 

The thing is, unlike everyone else Yuuri knows, whose soulmate dreams happen all through the night, Yuuri’s only occur early in the morning. It’s why it’s so incredibly hard to leave his bed. Yuuri holds onto the images of the most beautiful person he’s ever seen, but never touched, until he’s forced awake. 

He doesn’t tell anyone about it. Talking too much about your soulmate dreams is frowned upon in Japan, and may cause bad luck in the form of you never meeting them. No one wants to risk that. You’re only allowed to speak to your soulmate about it. Therefore, it takes a long time before Yuuri realises that the reason for his soulmate’s strange sleeping schedule isn’t that he goes to bed when the sun is rising, it’s because he’s in a different timezone. When Yuuri’s a teenager and looks it up it seems most likely he’s somewhere in Europe or the Middle east. The realisation is both exciting and heartbreaking. How is Yuuri supposed to find him if they’re so far apart? How will they communicate if they do not speak the same language? 

When they start learning English in school Yuuri sees it as his opportunity. The teachers claim that English is the language most widely spoken, so Yuuri will have to learn it flawlessly to be able to communicate with his soulmate. He puts as much effort into it as he can, pushing himself to be better, practices all the pronunciations as often as he can. He has to be able to talk to the silver-haired boy once they meet. 

Yuuri gets to see his soulmate grow, the round cheeks he had when he was a child slimming and make way for sharp cheekbones and jaw, but eyes as intense as ever and lips pink and soft. He continues to be taller than Yuuri, ending up a decimeter over Yuuri’s height when they’ve both stopped growing. The long silver hair disappears too, replaced by a short cut hairdo with a fringe falling over his left eye. He’s breathtakingly beautiful, and each and every morning he fills Yuuri’s life with brightness, colours exploding as they dance, arms embracing each other. It feels effortless and right. Like coming home. 

Their relationship grows too. When they’re young they play. Yuuri’s not really sure what they’re playing, but they run and laugh until Yuuri’s sure he would have a tummy ache if it wasn’t a dream. They hug a lot too. They always have. Yuuri hugs his soulmate more every night than he hugs anyone during the day. They hold hands as well, and his soulmate always feels like a natural presence by his side. One night, Yuuri’s soulmate cups his cheek with his right hand, and slowly brings their lips together. It’s a moment of rare clarity in the dream, and Yuuri is incredibly grateful for it. It feels like fireworks erupt in Yuuri’s body from the soft press of lips, and he wears a goofy grin on his face that entire week because of it. 

Waking up is always grey and dull, and for each month that passes, Yuuri feels as if his heart crumbles a little. The hope of finding the man of his dreams, literally, seeming more and more impossible. 

“Yuuri?” Phichit calls, and Yuuri pulls himself from his daydreaming, eyes looking out the train window at the passing landscape without actually seeing it. “We’re off at the next stop.” 

“Yeah, thank you,” Yuuri says, turning back to give his friend the most convincing smile he can. It doesn’t seem to work. Phichit frowns, tilting his head slightly to the side as Yuuri checks that he has everything. 

“Did you not sleep well last night again?” he asks as he stands from his seat, pulling both of their bags from the overhead shelf, handing Yuuri’s dark blue duffle bag over. 

“No, it was better last night,” Yuuri admits. Since moving to Detroit, his dreams have been even more out of sync. Now they’re always early instead, giving them only an hour together before Yuuri’s soulmate disappears. Yuuri’s been trying to get to bed earlier and earlier to have more, but it just leads to him tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep at all. His soulmate always looks devastated when he starts disappearing, trying to grab Yuuri tight before he turns into fog in Yuuri’s embrace. It breaks Yuuri’s heart every time. The last two nights they seem to have been completely in sync though, which leads Yuuri to believe his soulmate has grown desperate and messed up his own sleep schedule just so to be able to spend more time with Yuuri. Yuuri feels awful about it. It’s him who moved across the world and gave them less time together. He wants them to have more. He wants them to find each other and to be able to be together. He can feel his heart aching for it. The problem is, Yuuri isn’t good enough yet. He needs to have made something out of himself. To have something to show someone as bright and amazing as his soulmate that he can be worthy. He needs to prove it to himself too. 

“That’s good then,” Phichit says, sounding cheery but the crease between his brows stays. “Are you excited for tomorrow’s presentation?”

The grad student program with Celestino is prestigious and sought after, and Yuuri had not expected to get in when he applied. He’s spent almost four years here now, studying soulmates living in different timezones, and soon he will enter his final year. Phichit is on his second year, and he’s been an amazing addition to the grad student group. He quickly took to Yuuri, and without Yuuri even realising they became friends. It didn’t take long until Phichit made sure Yuuri was sort of friends with Ji and Leo too, who had been in the same program as him but under another supervisor for a few years. They spent a lot of time studying together and equal amounts procrastinating as well. 

“Yeah,” Yuuri says as they step off, Celestino following behind. “I’m excited to hear some of the other speakers.” 

For the last month and a half there’s been an endless string of conferences, and since Yuuri’s project is almost done, he’s been the one presenting. Phichit is coming along as moral support, even though he should be starting to work on his own admittances for articles. Celestino has such a soft spot for Phichit, all it took was for his to tilt his head to the side and say  _ ‘Pl-eaaaase’ _ and Ciao-Ciao relented. 

“Me too!” Phichit cheers. “No offence Yuuri but I’ve heard yours like a hundred times now.” 

Yuuri chuckles, adjusting the strap on his shoulder as Celestino catches up to them and starts to go over the schedule for tomorrow.

Yuuri is always nervous before heading up on stage, no matter how many times he holds this lecture. He has three published articles so far, all concerning individuals having a soulmate born in a different country. For his first article he interviewed a person in a soulmate pair who had not yet met their soulmate, but had reason to believe they lived in another country. The second was a questionnaire sent out to soulmate pairs, now living with their soulmate, but that originally been born in different countries. The third being on soulmates that had connected in someway, but were still living in different countries. For the last one he’s planned to interview soulmates living in different countries that have just met. He’s very excited about it. 

The announcer presents him, and with a beta blocker in his system Yuuri takes a deep breath and steps up on stage. The lights hits him, and he waits for the usual nervousness to start turning in his stomach. It doesn’t. Instead something warm washes over him, something Yuuri can’t ever remember feeling while awake before. 

The lecture goes well, Yuuri feels. The conference theme is ‘ _ Soulmates in the Modern Era _ ’, and Yuuri’s work was specifically requested. The large lecture hall is packed, and Yuuri is glad he’s not sure how many hundreds are in the stands. There are people from all around the world coming, this being one of the biggest soulmate-focused conferences. After his hour long lecture, it's time to open up for questions. Yuuri’s always nervous about it, scared someone will call him out on his work being untrustworthy or unnecessary. His heart hammers hard and he looks down at the front row to get some support from Phichit and Celestino. Phichit gives him a wide smile and thumbs up, while Celestino nods approvingly. Yuuri tries to let the tension he’s feeling out on a long breath, as the microphone gets handed across the crowd. 

The first question is about his method of finding participants, wondering how Yuuri finds such specific individuals in different parts of the world. The second concerns his interviews and how they are conducted, and like that it continues. With each question Yuuri relaxes a little more, finding it easier to be more open in his answers. After answering questions for almost twenty minutes, the mic gets handed to a man with short blond curly hair, a darker buzzcut on the sides. He’s wearing round glasses, and he looks to be a few years older than Yuuri. He smiles cheekily, and all of Yuuri’s worres comes flooding back. 

“Hello. My name is Christophe Giacometti, and I have a bit of a personal question,” he starts, not quelling Yuuri’s worries in the slightest. 

“Alright,” Yuuri says, trying not to let his nerves show. 

“Where does this drive to study soulmates that are separated by distance come from? Does your soulmate live far away?” Christophe asks. A shiver runs down Yuuri’s spine. He doesn’t usually answer questions about his personal life. He’s gotten questions like this before, of course, but he’s always refrained from answering them. He doesn’t want to out his and his soulmate’s story, if it’s not something his soulmate wouldn’t be comfortable with.    
“I’ve found it interesting ever since I completed my bachelor’s,” Yuuri starts his standard answer. “It continued when I completed my master’s and then into my grad studies. I still find it very fascinating.” 

“And your soulmate?” Christophe pushes. Most leave it at the first question. If Yuuri doesn’t answer, people tend to move on. Apparently he’s not in luck with that today. 

“I’d rather not discuss him since he’s not here to answer questions himself,” Yuuri answers with a smile that he hopes is pleasant but not too inviting. Christophe smirks, green eyes filled with mischief. 

“And if he is?” 

Yuuri’s heart stops as his stomach drops. It suddenly feels as if everything is moving in slow motion, his breathing shallow and harsh. It’s instinct to look to the right instead of the left, Yuuri can’t explain it any other way. There, on the eleventh something row, in a sea of people, sits the man that Yuuri’s been in love with for as long as he can remember but never meet. His soulmate’s blue eyes meets his, and suddenly Yuuri’s knees feel weak and trembling, as his heart kicks back into function, racing in his chest. 

If the dreams painted his soulmate as beautiful, the reality is even better. He’s even more breathtaking, in his deep maroon sweater and silver fringe falling perfectly over one eye. The memory of their first kiss, if one could call it that, washes over Yuuri and get stuck on repeat, a tingling memory of lips pressed together. 

“Hi.”

The word tumbles out of Yuuri’s mouth without him actually thinking about saying it. It’s more a breath than an actual greeting. Still, his soulmate smiles, bright and heart-shaped, as a soft pink blush spreads across his high cheekbones. Yuuri can see him form the word ‘Hello’, but since he has no microphone Yuuri barely hears it. It’s hard to grasp what’s happening after that. From everything moving extremely slow, suddenly things seem to be fastforwarding. Strong known arms wrap around Yuuri’s shoulders, and then he’s suddenly backstage, looking at Phichit who’s talking too fast, too much, for Yuuri’s spinning mind. 

Yuuri’s body is screaming in protest, everything feeling wrong. He turns from Phichit’s rambling, still not hearing a word. He needs to go. He needs to find him. On autopilot he moves, half running down a small staircase and then down a hallway. His body seems to know the way to the large entrencehall, and he lets it, his mind twisting with the memory of a face he’s adored for decades actually sitting in front of him. Yuuri bursts out, only to instantly find himself surrounded by a sea of people. Suddenly his breath becomes short. What if he can’t find him? What if there’s too many people? What if he already left? What if-

“YUURI!”

The voice cuts through the buzz, and Yuuri’s head whips around. His soulmate is making his way through the pressing crowd, eyes wild. Yuuri starts moving too, relief and urgency battling in his mind. He didn’t leave, but he’s still too far way. Yuuri zig-zags, and then reaches out, hand brushing soft and warm skin. It sends sparks flying down Yuuri’s spine, and as soon as he’s able he grabs tight, tugging them closer together until they’re chest to chest. Yuuri’s hands travel up and soon he has his arms wrapped around his soulmate’s neck, as warm hands land on his waist. 

“Yuuri,” His soulmate breathes again, and Yuuri laughs, holding on as tight as he can to make sure this is real, this is actually happening. “Yuuri.” 

“Hi,” Yuuri breathes again, because he has no idea what to say at all. His mind is spinning, filled with questions and worries. “I’m so glad you found me.” 

“I-,” His soulmate says, and Yuuri can feel him trembling in his grip. He pulls back but continues to hold on, just so their eyes can meet. Those bright blue eyes are filled with tears, and Yuuri feels his own water at the sight. He leans forward, so overwhelmed and filled to the brim with emotion, he presses their mouths together. 

Yuuri has never kissed anyone except in his soul-dreams. The sensation in real life is much warmer, sending shivers down Yuuri’s spine. His soulmate hums against his lips, the press soft, warm and right. 

“Wow,” His soulmate breathes when they part, opening his eyes slowly. The tears are gone now, but the wide heart-shaped smile is back. “Yuuri Katsuki, that was better than I could ever have dreamed.” 

Yuuri laughs, because that’s so silly and so cute. They’re still embracing, and even though Yuuri rationally knows there must be people looking at them he can’t even seem to care. His focus is centered, and he feels as if though he will never be able to look away. 

“What’s your name?” Yuuri asks, which seems like such an odd question. His soulmate laughs, joy dancing in his eyes. Yuuri loves him.

“Victor Nikiforov,” he answers and Yuuri smiles, leaning forward to press their lips together again. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, please let me know what you think in the comment section or on other platforms like:  
> [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/linisen) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/mjaoue)


End file.
